


real family is something you choose

by orphan_account



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Car Accidents, Coming Out, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hospitalization, Hospitals, M/M, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24750841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Antonio Higgins married Sean Conlon six years ago, his parents were the last thing on his mind. He never told them. They were extreme traditionalists. It's not like he wasn't going to ever tell them. He just hadn't planned on doing it when he was lying in a hospital bed, with his mother, father, and husband screaming at each other.*WARNING* Non-graphic descriptions of injury, homophobic slurs and language used.
Relationships: Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	real family is something you choose

**Author's Note:**

> please don't have high expectations. I did not proofread this, I just sat down, wrote it, and posted it. Also, I hate Race's parents. Just a fact.
> 
> Edit: I felt bad so censored the one slur. It's in the second half, just as a warning.

  
It was a sunny tuesday morning in Brooklyn, and Race had taken his mother out for brunch. He didn’t do this often, but they didn’t see each other often either. It had been about 8 years, since even before he and Spot had eloped. 

It was a nice little bistro, off any major roads. The outdoor seating was pleasant, with lots of roses and vining plants. Race scanned the little menu before ordering a crepe and his mother ordered something gross sounding with salmon. 

“So, Tony, how’s the studio?” Mrs. Higgins blew on her coffee before taking a sip. 

“It’s good. Got a few new students, younger kids mostly.” Race bounced his leg. He wasn’t nervous really but he felt like he was forgetting something. 

“I never really expected you to work with children, but I can tell it does suit you.” She smiled softly. 

“How’s Dad?”

Mrs. Higgins pursed her lips. “He’s okay. Of course, he’s still upset over, well, you know. And understandably so.”

Of course. Because his mother couldn’t get through one brunch without bringing up his sister, who recently moved in with her girlfriend, and how she was a disgrace to the family name. 

Race tried to change the subject, yet again. “The deli?” His father ran a little sandwich shop, now that he was semi retired. Said it was “good for his old bones”. 

“Good, good. Less business, with all these non-meat eaters going around today.” His mother also hated vegans, apparently. He knew the business was unaffected, his mother just liked to imprint her ideas into reality. 

Race wasn’t really sure how to respond to that, but was saved when the waiter brought over their food. 

Eating in silence for a few moments, that nervous feeling crept its way back into Race’s stomach, and coiled itself, like a snake ready to strike.

“Tony, is that a wedding band?!”

Shit. 

Race momentary choked on his crepe.

His mother grabbed his hand and inspected the ring before Race could react with anything other than panic. He yanked his hand away again and shoved it into his pocket. 

“I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend!” She cooed, clasping her hands in front of her chest. “When is the wedding?” 

Race, for once in his life, couldn’t manage to open his mouth. His mother didn’t seem to mind though, forgetting about the previous question and rambling on for the next 20 minutes about anything and everything related to weddings. 

Soon though, Race managed to excuse himself with the reasoning that he had a class at 11:00. His mother let him go, and he all but ran to the studio. 

______________________________

“... it’s your greatest foe foe foe, don’t wanna get eaten by the sharknado....” Spot lazily sang along to the theme song for sharknado 3, oh hell no. It was his favorite. Tara Reid gives birth inside a shark, after all. 

His eyes were slowly closing when his phone rang from across the room. He considered letting it go to voicemail, but ended up dragging himself off the couch to answer it. He didn’t check caller id before answering. 

“Is this Sean Higgins-Conlon?”

“Yes, who is this?” 

“This is the New York Community Hospital. I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

Spot nearly dropped the phone. 

“Your husband has been in a car accident. I can’t say his condition, but if you could come down to the hospital, that would be ideal.”

Spot’s heart had stopped beating, he was sure. It didn’t keep him from rushing out the car, knocking his shoulder into every other wall. Not Race. Not Race. Not Race. He had said it would be a late night tonight. He had late nights all the time. Why was this one different? Why was this drive different? 

“...Mr. Higgins- Conlon? Are you still there?”

Spot managed a yes. 

He doubted it was safe to drive like this, with his whole body shaking violently, but he pulled out of the parking garage anyways, and sped through the Brooklyn streets. 

He nearly hit a pedestrian as he skidded to a stop in front of a light. 

You need to pull yourself together. 

He wouldn’t be any good to Race flattened between two semis. He needed to get to the hospital so he could see his husband. He was gonna be fine. Race was gonna be fine, and they were going to drive home to their apartment and their cat and all their friends. It was going to be fine. 

Unless it wasn’t. 

Spot careened into the parking lot, and threw himself out the door before he was even sure the car had stopped. He ran into the hospital, and almost plowed over several people. 

“Where is Antonio Higgins- Conlon? He’s my husband, he got in a car accident, the lady on the phone said she couldn’t tell me his condition which is bullshit because if he was okay they would tell me and-”

“Sir, he’s fine.” the nurse behind the front desk looked up at him, completely unaffected by his mental breakdown.

“What?”

“He’s okay. Just a few bruised ribs and a minor concussion. Room 134 B, just down that hall.” She pointed off to the left. 

Spot was sprinting before she had even finished. 

134 B, 134 B, 134 B 

Spot reached it in what had to be record time. He opened the door in what felt like slow motion, blood rushing in his ears. 

On the bed lay Race, looking like he got jumped by the entire mafia. His brow was sliced, he had two black eyes, and a split lip. He still looked every bit as beautiful as the day Spot met him. 

He was asleep. Spot took the chair in his left. He laced their fingers together, rubbing small circles into the back of his hand. 

“Hey, Tony.” Tears fell silently from his cheeks to the thin hospital sheets. Race carefully opened his eyes and gave Spot’s hand a squeeze. 

“What’s wrong, Spottie? ‘m I really that ugly now?” He cracked a small smile, then winced. 

Spot managed a watery laugh. “Never, Racer.” He traced a careful hand over Race’s cheekbone before resting it in his hair. Race leaned into the touch. 

“Where’s my poor baby?!”

Race’s mother burst through the door, towing her husband behind her. They rushed over to Race’s side. 

“Tony, are you okay? The nurse called us and told us that you had gotten into an accident and we rushed right over!” She sat in the other chair. “And good thing we did, you look awful! I can’t believe this, we should sue the other driver.” Mr. Higgins stood stoically next to her. 

“I’m okay mama, really. I don't know why they even called, you aren’t on my contact list anymore.” Race said. 

Mrs. Higgins smiled sadly. “Not our little boy anymore.” 

Mr. Higgins gestured roughly at Spot. “What’s he doin’ here? I thought he was your roommate.”

Mrs Higgins softly smacked his arm. “Gio, don’t be rude.” She smiled politely at him. “Sean, correct?”

Spot nodded slowly.  
“They only let family in, Marie. They made us show our ID’s at the desk.” Mr. Higgins glared at him. 

Race squeezed his hand. 

Mrs. Higgins looked very confused. “How did you get in, Sean?”

Spot didn’t say anything, and instead looked to Race. It had been his request to keep it a secret until he had come out to his parents. 

Race pulled Spot’s hand up to his swollen lips and softly pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Mama, Dad, this is my husband. Sean Conlon.” His voice was quiet, but pride shone through. 

Mr. Higgins was turning red. His wife let out a choked noise and fell back into her chair. 

“No.”

“Dad?”

“First your sister, now you. She contaminated you, didn’t she? Made you a f*g.”

“Giovanni-” Mrs. Higgins tried to interrupt. 

“No, I won’t let my son throw his life away for some fairy. He’s always been a stupid and reckless child and this is just another act of rebellion.” 

“Dad, I-”

“Gio, that was too far-”

“ _Get out_.” Spot stood. 

“You can’t tell me what to do. That’s my son, and he’s making a terrible mistake.” Mr. Higgins spat at him. 

Spot could feel himself trembling with anger. “If it was a mistake, it wouldn’t have lasted the last 6 years then.”

Mrs. Higgins gasped. “6 years, Tony?” Her voice sounded broken. 

Race nodded. “And seeing how you reacted? I’m glad we eloped.” 

She gasped. “You don’t mean that.”

“Sean has made me the happiest I ever could have been in the last 6 years, and you weren’t there.” Race was spitting venom. “So maybe, that was for the best. If you don’t approve of my happiness, of my family, then you don’t have to be a part of it.”

Spot took his seat back at Race’s side, sitting tall. Mr. Higgins stormed out of the room and Mrs. Higgins scurried behind him. 

“Spot?” Race’s voice broke as a wave of tears fell. “Will they ever come back?”

Spot sat on the bed next to him.

“Do you want them too?” He wrapped an arm around Race’s shoulders. 

Race moved to bury his face in Spot’s chest. “I don’t know.”

“I mean, they’d be idiots not too.” Spot kissed the top of his head. “But if they don’t, it’s their loss.”

Race nodded and pulled the blanket higher up. Spot shifted to lay down in the thousand pillows and turned off the bedside lamp, draping the room in a soft darkness. 

“I’m proud of you, Tony.” Spot said softly. 

Race shifted carefully. “I just wanna go home.”

“We’ll go home soon. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> So that's what happened. Hope you enjoyed it. And if you didn't, completely understandable, have a nice day.


End file.
